The Book of Romans Part Four
📖 Romans: Deep Gospel, Deep Impact
Study Part 4: When We Turn from the Light (Romans 1:16–32)
🔑 Opening Scripture: Romans 1:16–17
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”
💡 Big Idea:
Romans 1:16–17 isn’t just the introduction to Paul’s letter—it’s the lens through which the entire book must be read. Paul declares that in the gospel, God’s righteousness—His covenant faithfulness and power to set the world right—is being revealed. But this glorious announcement comes into a world that has tragically turned away from its Creator.
🔍 Part I: The Power and Purpose of the Gospel (vv. 16–17)
💬 NT Wright:
Wright argues that “the righteousness of God” is not merely a moral quality but God’s covenant faithfulness to rescue creation—especially through Israel’s story, now fulfilled in Jesus. It is “revealed” as God steps in to set things right.
📘 Gorman:
Gorman emphasizes that this righteousness is not just something God possesses but something God shares with believers through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—it’s participatory.
📚 E.P. Sanders:
Sanders reminds us that righteousness is a relational term—it defines how one stands in relationship with God and the covenant community. It’s not just moral status but a covenantal reality.
🧠 Reflection:
- How is God’s righteousness more than just moral perfection? How is it relational?
- What does it mean to live “by faith from first to last”?
- How is the gospel not just a message about us—but about God?
⚠️ Part II: The Spiral of Unrighteousness (vv. 18–32)
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth…” (v.18)
💬 CS Lewis (The Abolition of Man):
Lewis warns that when we sever ourselves from transcendent truth and objective value, we lose what it means to be fully human. In Romans 1, Paul describes this descent: the suppression of truth is not ignorance but active resistance to God’s voice through creation and conscience.
“We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise.” —C.S. Lewis
💬 Gorman:
This passage is a theological diagnosis. Paul is describing the unraveling of human identity when we reject the Creator. Sin isn’t just the breaking of rules—it’s the breakdown of our very humanness.
💬 Mark Nanos:
Nanos notes that Paul is writing to a mixed audience of Jews and Gentiles, and is deliberately building a critique of the Gentile world’s idolatry to draw in his Jewish listeners. But the goal isn’t condemnation—it’s preparation for Romans 2, where Paul will show that all have fallen short.
🧭 Guiding Principle for Interpreting vv.18–27
This passage has been a flashpoint for controversy, especially around issues of sexuality. While we don’t ignore those texts, our focus here is on the broader theological argument: sin is a de-creation. It pulls humans away from their vocation—to bear God’s image—and leads to the distortion of relationships, worship, and desires.
“They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images…”
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie…”
Paul’s emphasis is on the tragic exchange—from the worship of God to worship of self, sex, and created things. This is not about one type of sin, but about how sin rearranges the furniture of the soul, pulling us away from what we were created to be.
🧵 Part III: The Broken Human Condition (vv.28–32)
“God gave them over…”
This phrase is repeated three times—God “gives them over” not in anger, but by allowing people to experience the results of their own desires. Sin, in Paul’s view, is both an action and a condition. Humanity is caught in a kind of spiritual entropy, unraveling itself.
💬 C.S. Lewis again:
“There are two kinds of people—those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then—have it your way.’”
God’s wrath in Romans 1 is not thunderbolts from heaven—it’s God letting go. Letting us see what happens when we remove Him from the center.
🧠 Reflection Questions:
- How does Paul describe the effects of sin in Romans 1? What are people losing?
- In what ways do you see the “tragic exchange” playing out in our culture today?
- How might our story mirror this spiral—yet find hope in God’s righteousness?
🛠 Application:
- Honest Self-Examination: Where am I suppressing truth or resisting God’s design?
- Re-centering Worship: Sin begins with disordered worship. Begin again by acknowledging who God is.
- Live by Faith: The righteous live by faith. That means trusting God’s design, purpose, and love—even when culture pulls in other directions.
📖 Closing Scripture:
“The righteous will live by faith.” —Romans 1:17
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…” —Ezekiel 36:26
🙏 Closing Prayer:
“God of truth and mercy, we confess the ways we’ve traded Your glory for lesser things. But we thank You that in Jesus, You have not given up on humanity. Shape us again into Your image. Help us to live by faith, to seek Your righteousness, and to love what is true and good. Amen.”